'Rust' Crew Member May Need Arm Amputated Following On-Set Incident Following Halyna Hutchins' Death

By Allison Schonter

The crew of Alec Baldwin's film Rust has been hit by another tragedy. Just weeks after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot, a lamp operator and pipe rigger working to wind down production on the New Mexico set amid the ongoing investigation was hospitalized and now faces the potential amputation of his arm after being bitten by a venomous spider.

According to a Just Giving fundraiser page viewed by Sky News, Jason Miller was bitten by a brown recluse spider, a venomous araneidan that is native to North America, as the crew continued to wrap production indefinitely. Within days, Miller began experiencing severe symptoms, including necrosis of his arm, which occurs when cells die, and sepsis. He was hospitalized and "endured multiple surgeries each day as doctors do their best to stop the infection and try to save his arm from amputation," according to the page.

"It will be a very long road to recovery for Jason if the medical team is able to save his arm," the page reads. "If under worse circumstances, he loses his arm, this is a life-changing and devastating event for Jason and his family."

The Rust production crew has declined to comment on the incident at this time. Production on the film has been halted indefinitely in the wake of the fatal accidental shooting that left Hutchins dead. Hutchins, who served as the film's cinematographer, was struck in the abdomen by a live round as Baldwin was rehearsing his quick draw during a break on Thursday, Oct. 21. The actor had been handed a prop gun by an assistant director, who declared the firearm was "cold," indicating it only contained blanks. However, when Baldwin pulled the trigger, the gun fired a live round, which struck and killed Hutchins and also struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Souza was treated at a hospital and released later that night with expectations of a full recovery.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident, and while no charges have been filed at this time, they have said that "all options are on the table" and "no one has been ruled out." Amid the investigation, concerns from current and former crew members raised about the production have come to light, with Lane Luper, who resigned as lead camera operator just a day before the shooting, has revealed in their resignation letter that there were two accidental discharges of firearms and one accidental discharge of special effects explosives in the days before the accidental shooting. Hutchins' husband is reportedly preparing to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

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